Heavily Broken

One afternoon on my way home from school I felt as if something bad was going to happen, something worse than usual. It was a horrible feeling in the pit of my stomach. My feelings were confirmed once we reached the building. Right in front of our apartment building James and I saw Daphne putting suitcases into the car and storm back into the house yelling about how much she's had it. We also heard Kevin yelling back at her from inside how he didn't give a damn how she felt or what she did. I just didn't understand what was going on. I looked back at James but he looked just as confused as I was. They never went this far. Daphne's stormed out plenty of times but she's never taken her clothes.

“What do you think is going on?” I finally brought myself to ask. My brother stayed silent, and I figured that meant that he knew just as much about what was happening as I did.

“Let’s go find out, Elle,” he replied after a few minutes, using the nickname he had made me when we were younger. He walked ahead of me toward the building. Kevin and Daphne were still yelling before Daphne stormed out of the building with what I'm guessing was her last bag and toward the car. Our car. That very car James saved up for and bought.

“I can’t take it anymore. I hate this house. I hate your kids. I hate you and your filthy promises, you stupid liar,” she screamed back at Kevin. She turned to look at James and I, then grimaced before slamming the trunk of the car.

“Where you going, Daphne?” James asked with a weird look on his face. I stared back at him in confusion. Why does he care. Good riddance I say.

“You'll be back, watch and I won't even let you in, you ugly old hag," shouted Kevin from the porch. Daphne laughed at what he said before saying, "As if I'm ever going to come back to you. You pathetic, little man." She emphasized on the little. Kevin's eyes went wide with anger.

“Where are you running off too?” James asked her once again.

“One, why the fuck do you care? Two, it's because I can’t stand all you. I hate this shitty life and all of you. I'm done living like this.” She threw back at him sharply.
James pulled back so fast it was as if he was a rubber band.

"Fine then. Leave, it's not like it hasn't happened before. No one forced you to stay here this past year. Go luck finding a new place to crash and someone to pay for all the shit that you take. But this time Daphne, don't bother coming back." He spat at her. She scoffed, got into our car and sped off.

Kevin stumbled off the porch drunkenly, with a beer in his right hand. James looked at him and then at Daphne one last time before walking away, mumbling about how he had to get back to work. James had rounded the corner when I realized that I need my brother at my side. He had left me alone with my drunken, abusive father as if the day couldn't get any worse. But I knew I couldn’t blame him, he had to go to work. Someone had to pay the bills around here. I sighed heavily before walking up the stairs to the hell I call my home. Kevin following me up the stairs mumbling to himself.

That night, I was trying to cook but as usual, Kevin was even more drunk and started yelling and nagging at me for the house not being clean enough. As if I didn't have enough to do with my homework, the laundry, cleaning, and cooking!

“This place is a fuckin' pigsty. What do you do all day, huh, sit around playin' on your stupid guitar and sing. It ain’t like you have anythin' better to do! You stupid bitch,” yelled Kevin. I just ignored him and went about my business cooking. Sometimes Kevin backs off but usually doesn’t. And today was one of those days.

“Ignorin' me huh, you little tramp, I’ll fucking teach you to ignore me,” Kevin yelled. I felt him grab the hem of my shirt and yank me against him. As I fell onto him he pushed me roughly onto the counter and I dropped the potato and the peeler as I hit my head against it. He grabbed me from my hair and threw me across the room and I hit into the table. As much as it hurt, I tried my best to get up, which I later found out was a big mistake because once I stood up Kevin walked toward me and punched me a in the face. I screamed and fell once again onto the floor. My lip covered in blood and leaking onto the tiles.

"You're making more of a mess, you stupid dumb whore!"

I took a deep breath and stood back up; not giving him the satisfaction of having me beat, just waiting for him to finish hitting me so I could finish cooking and cleaning before James came home. He then started to fumble with his belt until he was able to slowly pull it off. I froze in my place where I stood waiting in fear, knowing that if I tried to fight back or run he would probably do worse to me. My gaze was stuck to the belt. Of all he's done to me, I hated the belt whippings.

I glanced at the clock hanging above the door frame. James was a half hour late, where is he? I knew there was no point in crying, so I continued to just stand there waiting for it to be over. He struck me on my thigh which made me stumble onto the floor. I winced in pain as I started to feel the stinging pain in my thigh.

He struck me again but this time it was on my back and then on my arm. He struck many times over and over again all over my body. I shed a few tears but held most of them back, even though they burned behind my eyelids begging to be let out. Kevin hit me again with the thick leather belt, by now as hard as I could I couldn’t hold back my tears anymore, and started crying quietly while trying to gain my composure.

'I will not give in to him! I will not give in to him! I will NOT give into him!' I thought to myself. Though I felt myself weakening inside. There is only so much I can take. And I was crumbling.

He walked toward me his eyes red and angry; he stared down at me enjoying my pain. He then kicked me in the gut. I grimaced as I felt the bile rise up in my throat. If I threw up on the floor that would only trigger him more so I did the only thing I could, which was to swallow it back down. It burned my throat and made me gag but it went down.

As he was about strike me once more, the door slammed opened and James walked in, his eyes red with anger and hatred. He ripped the leather belt from Kevin’s arms and threw it across the room.

“Don’t touch her, don’t you dare touch her or I’ll fucking kill you, damn it,” James yelled at him. I tried to stand up but my body was very sore from the pain. I ended up stumbling back down on the floor.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing huh, tough guy? Think you’re a man now, huh? Think you can tell me what to do? If you’re such a man then why don't come and fight me? Show me how tough you really are!” screamed Kevin.

He walked toward James with his hands balled up into fists. He punched James in the stomach making James wince in pain. But it also only made James angrier. James then tackled Kevin causing them both to fall and break the only table they had and I screamed.

James punched him multiple times before he gave up and left him on the ground. Bit when he stood up he kicked Kevin in the stomach, making him double over and groan loudly before walking toward me, helping me on my feet, and taking me into the room we have shared locking it behind him. He picked up a shirt that was lying around and passed it to me so I could wipe my face.